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Listen to Dr PJ McShane's Recent Talk on Airway Clearance!

Posted by becleartoday @becleartoday, Jul 10 2:01pm

Have you had a chance to listen to Dr PJ McShane's talk on the importance of airway clearance? I'm still reviewing it, but here are some takeaways:

MUCUS

Mucus plays a vital role in lung health. It contains mucins, which act like a sponge, absorbing water and creating a gel-like substance. This gel traps dust, germs, and toxins, protecting the airways. However, in bronchiectasis, the balance is disrupted.

The excess mucins in bronchiectasis make the mucus thicker and heavier. This overwhelms tiny hairs called cilia lining the airways. Normally, cilia act like miniature brooms, sweeping mucus upwards to be coughed out. But burdened by the dense mucus, they struggle to function effectively. This leads to mucus buildup, creating a breeding ground for infections and further inflammation.

Dr. McShane offers a reassuring message. "Scientists are working on fixing this problem based on drugs that target those receptors and target the mucin. We cannot fix that by our diet, so you're not doing anything wrong. Keep living your life. And stay tuned because science is moving forward."

THE IMPACT OF DRINKING WATER AND DAIRY ON MUCUS

"With bronchiectasis mucus becomes heavy and weighs down the epithelial cells and the cilia. So now the mucus becomes stagnant.. Don't go rushing to your refrigerator and grab a bottle of water and start drinking.

I want you to understand that if this is nothing that you're doing wrong and you can't fix this by drinking your water. In fact, if you do drink more water, you're going to lower your sodium in your blood and then you're going to have symptoms and have to go to the ER and it's going to be a nightmare. So, just drink if you're thirsty. You can't fix these abnormal abnormalities in your mucus by your diet.

Many of my patients will say that (they) shouldn't have dairy products because it increases the mucus. And I'm not sure that's 100% scientifically based. I would rather my patients, get the dairy, get the protein, get the calcium from the dairy in their diet, and understand that the abnormalities of their mucus are coming from something different than just what they eat in their diet."

COUGH

Why isn't a cough enough? Why do people living with bronchiectasis need to do daily airway clearance?

During a cough, air is expelled from the lungs at high speed, clearing the airways of irritants, mucus, or foreign particles. This forceful action can also bring up mucus from the lungs.

Furthermore, coughing relies on the elasticity of the airways to manage the increased pressure. But, in conditions like bronchiectasis, the airways lose their elasticity and do not respond normally to the pressures exerted during a cough.

According to Dr. PJ McShane, "This is why you can cough your head off to the point that you're exhausted and nothing's coming out and you don't feel like it's effective, and instead you're just getting tired. So that's where airway clearance comes in. And that's why it's so important to learn techniques you can do, other than just a simple cough."

AND THERE IS LOTS MORE!!

Enjoy,
Linda Esposito

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the MAC & Bronchiectasis Support Group.

scoop | @scoop | Jul 10 8:06pm

Wonderful talk, and I love the partial transcription!

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@ling | @wangling | Jul 10 9:38pm

Love the presentation. Already started practicing something she suggested. Love the fact that she cares so much about her patients and the patients like us.
Best!
Ling

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liz440 | @liz440 | Jul 11 6:30am

I did a no dairy trial of 3 weeks and absolutely no difference in mucus production - tons with or without dairy

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becleartoday | @becleartoday | Jul 11 6:39am

Sorry to hear that you’re dealing with tons of mucus on a daily basis. Perhaps some of the airway clearance techniques that Dr. McShane mentions could be helpful additions to your current self-care.

Best,
Linda

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2 replies
msk | @msk | Jul 11 6:42am

Thank you for posting this info.
Glad to hear diet has nothing to do with the problem. Also i can continue having dairy. I do love having milk, cheese and ice cream! Miriam

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lilianna | @lilianna | Jul 11 7:52am

thank you for this wrap up post

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spider109 | @spider109 | Jul 11 9:06am
In reply to @becleartoday "Sorry to hear that you’re dealing with tons of mucus on a daily basis. Perhaps some..." + (show)
@becleartoday

Sorry to hear that you’re dealing with tons of mucus on a daily basis. Perhaps some of the airway clearance techniques that Dr. McShane mentions could be helpful additions to your current self-care.

Best,
Linda

Jump to this post

Sorry Linda, I have the address i believe to see Dr. Mcshanes presentation on You Tube but can’t seem to navigate it to get it so I can view it. It’s always so helpful to get ANY information or practices that can help us with this awful condition. Can you take the time to explain to me how to watch the presentation? Sorry I’m not that technological savvy. Thank-you in advance.

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2 replies
becleartoday | @becleartoday | Jul 11 9:14am
In reply to @spider109 "Sorry Linda, I have the address i believe to see Dr. Mcshanes presentation on You Tube..." + (show)
@spider109

Sorry Linda, I have the address i believe to see Dr. Mcshanes presentation on You Tube but can’t seem to navigate it to get it so I can view it. It’s always so helpful to get ANY information or practices that can help us with this awful condition. Can you take the time to explain to me how to watch the presentation? Sorry I’m not that technological savvy. Thank-you in advance.

Jump to this post

I see that the link is not active so that one would need to copy and paste it to a browser like Chrome or Safari. I’ll see if I can message you an active link and I’ll also check with Colleen Young our moderator to see if she can make the link active. Always here to help! BE well, Linda

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blm1007blm1007 | @blm1007blm1007 | Jul 11 10:32am

I can vouch about the amount of water and how if affects the sodium. With all the reasons that come into play later in life and as well with Bronchiectasis....the bladder releases more fluid with sodium. If I am not taking in enough sodium to replace the lost sodium I have leg and foot cramps. I watch the sodium on a daily basis and drink at least four glasses of warm water a day and soup at night. I boil purified water, my choice. This has worked for me somewhat, as I still turn out on tests to be dehydrated. The sodium count was O.K. to my understanding. Nothing mentioned of not having enough sodium. For me at 81 and 7 months I have made it a practice for years to know my body's needs as best i can. Everything is different for each of us . I also, since being diagnosed with BE, am careful with what I eat so not to weaken my immune system. Mostly plant based protein, veggies and fruits. I believe I have had BE for several years but it did not flare up with the need to clear my throat until a few years back and then in 2022 my PCDoctor felt it was time for a C Scan due to my weight loss. To date I have not had an exacerbation and waiting to know if antibiotics are going to be suggested with several positive MAI sputum results. My main problem is that I am not sure why I constantly have mucus on its own coming up into my throat and my having to clear it out...all day long. However, without medical confiration other than having a hiatal hernia, this mucus might be because of what happens with a hiatal hernia...mucus to counter acid. So hard to know in the big picture of things. Thanks Linda for your post(s).

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